MELBOURNE, 20 JUNE 2019

While not set in stone, the current expansion agenda for Cannings Butchers has involved the rollout of about one new store each year. The late 2019 opening of the new shopping centre at Burwood Brickworks aligns perfectly with this timeline.

But more importantly, so does the “ethos” of what is being created, says Founder and Managing Director

Sam Canning.

“It was easy to get excited about what Frasers Property Australia is creating at Burwood Brickworks. We feel it absolutely aligns with our brand and our point of difference,” says Sam.

“When I first started to talk to the Frasers Property team about the Brickworks opportunity, I said to them ‘we are the only butcher that is really going to fit the culture of this centre’. And the feeling was mutual. We each have a great respect for what the other does and this made our decision to join the mix at Brickworks an organic one.”

Burwood Brickworks will be the eighth store in Melbourne for Cannings Butchers, with its other locations in a mix of strip shops and shopping centres. As butchers with a conscience, Cannings takes great pride in delivering Australia’s highest welfare, free range produce. Striving to create a positive change in the field, the new Brickworks outlet will represent the next evolution of its store model.

So did the Cannings team have to adjust its store concept to contribute to the greater Living Building ChallengeTM aspirations for the shopping centre at Burwood Brickworks?

To a degree, says Sam. While the Cannings model emphasises sustainably-sourced produce in clean, natural environments, some tweaks have been necessary and the team is working through some challenges.

“We recognised that it was time to freshen our model anyway, while keeping our brand identity and contemporary feel, so our new store at Brickworks presents an ideal opportunity,” Sam explains.

“We already incorporate natural materials like stone and timber to our fitout, but we’re also working with the Frasers Property team to introduce new materials to our back-of-store areas that will align with the broader goal to make the centre and its shops as sustainable as possible.

“We’re also working with our refrigeration provider to implement a more economical and efficient refrigeration system. As we finalise the concept it’s becoming clear the innovations in our new Brickworks store will have broader applications for our network.”

There are some other tweaks Canning Butchers is implementing in the Brickworks store to ensure it meets the needs of the local Burwood community.
“Burwood is a thriving residential neighbourhood with lots of young families, but it is yet to be satisfied with a high-quality meat offer. The surrounding community, including the new homes at Burwood Brickworks, will be important for our new store and we want to become a part of people’s day-to-day routines,” Sam says.

“We will tailor the offer in our Brickworks store to specifically meet locals’ needs. With the cultural diversity in the local community, we are introducing a wider seafood offer as well as dry-aged beef, an expanded pork range and a selection of hot roasts and vegetables so people can grab dinner to go.

“As ever, we’ll continue to visit the farms responsible for supplying our produce, ensure our seafood is Australian Marine Conservation Society approved, and that everything we sell meets the Cannings Selection Criteria,” he says.

Frasers Property is aiming for the shopping centre at Burwood Brickworks to be the first retail development in the world to achieve Living Building ChallengeTM certification. This means it will generate more energy than it consumes on an annual basis, retain and recycle all of the water it uses, dedicate 20% of its site footprint for food growing, among many other sustainable initiatives.

A mix of on-site rooftop solar PV and off-site renewable energy, utilising the latest in battery storage, will generate 105% of the energy required for the building.

The shopping centre has been designed by Melbourne-based NH Architecture, while North Melbourne- based Russell & George has been appointed to ensure the base building interior design meets the elevated biophilic design requirements that Living Building ChallengeTM compliance demands.

Frasers Property has received a 6 Star Green Star Design and As Built v1.1 (Design Review) rating for its shopping centre at Burwood Brickworks from the Green Building Council of Australia. Retailers interested in a tenancy at Burwood Brickworks should call Frasers Property on 13 38 38 or visit www.frasersproperty.com.au/Retail/VIC/Burwood-Brickworks/Register.